The exhibition showcases all the real artifacts recovered from the shipwreck, deep from under the ocean.
However, this was not like any kind of boring exhibitions. In the Titanic Exhibition, it was made for you to experience the start of the legend, from how Titanic was first designed with the latest technology of their time (deemed to be "Unsinkable"), to the last moment before it sank deep down into the sea. With sound effects and terrific atmosphere, it really brings you to that day of Titanic's maiden Voyage.
Before entering the exhibition, a Boarding Pass (with a real Titanic passenger's detail) was handed to each visitor. At the end of the day, one have to check the list of survivors to see if the passenger on your Pass had survived that wreck.
At the beginning, we were taken to a place where they displayed the facts about the construction of the Titanic and how the decisions before the voyage contributed to the shocking number of deaths caused by the incident. The whole time I was shaking my head thinking that if those decisions were made differently, many life would had been saved.
There was this platform just before we "boarded" the ship, to make us feel that we were really entering the dock. Upon entering, we stepped onto this beautifully carpeted floor- the first class cabins. The room was made so that the visitors could actually imagine themselves to be inside the ship, walking down the corridor of the first class docks with cabin number plates on the polished white doors. You will feel the sense of status while you walk through that path. The feeling is indescribable.
Personally, I think that the Grand Staircase and the "open deck" was the most memorable. Build specially for this exhibition, the Grand Staircase looks surprisingly real and visitors were able stand on the stairs to take a photo (taken by the exhibition personal, cameras are prohibited ) and purchase it for S$25 - really expensive for me so I did not buy it :(
The recreation of the "open deck" was the most astonishing. Making the deck look longer by placing two mirrors on each side to create the mirage, I was almost tricked by the illusion until I saw my reflection. Starry night was made with black cloths and LED lights and it really felt like you are out on the deck feeling the sea breeze. That room was especially cold as it was "outside" and the ship was already near the iceberg. I really had a hard time leaving that section.
In the section of the Iceberg, videos on how the Ship sunk was shown to further sway the visitors emotionally. While reading some of the display boards, I almost cried when I saw those words from a woman to her husband, "We will die the same way we had lived, together." (or something similar to that...)
In the room of Memorials, there are lists of names that survived and lost. My passenger was a 24 year-old woman who suffered from tuberculosis and was travelling with 2 of her children while my friend's was a 18-year old girl who is going to America to become a nun and travelling with her cousin. Mine survived while her's did not. The anxiousness, relief or despair we felt while looking for survivals is unutterable. Imagine the feelings of those who were really in that situation, searching for their lost companion.
The experience felt is beyond those words I had typed in my memory of the exhibit. It does not do justice at all to the atmosphere created by the location itself. It is really a great experience and I will strongly recommend all to at least experience it once. I myself, am preparing to go there the second time XD
Tickets could be purchased at S$20 (by showing your Singapore IC to prove that you are a Singapore resident) or S$24 for normal tourist at the ArtScience Museum itself. Entry time is from 10am to 9pm everyday till 29th April.
Titanic is slowly disappearing under the sea due to metal-eating bacteria that is causing all the rust. By 40-90 years, all of the once massive ship would disappear completely. By then, only the artifacts taken from the shipwreck would be used to remember the grand Titanic and her unfortunate maiden voyage. Hence, this 100-year anniversary exhibition may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to understand the story behind the Titanic!
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